A Russian Fairytale
by spanza
Summary: An alternative Hetalia version of the fall of Tsarist Russia. The story goes into Russia's relationships with the Tsar of Russia and one of his daughters, Anastasia.
1. Chapter 1

Russia drew his coat closer around his shoulders. Although it was only early autumn, the air was already bitterly cold and there was frost on the ground beneath his feet. He wondered what the Romanov children were up to. They would be nice and warm in their lovely big palace, by the fireside. Or maybe running around and playing games. He smiled.

He always smiled when he thought about them. He loved the Romanov children like they were his own siblings, although he though that their parents lacked

good judgement sometimes. He didn't think the Tsar looked after his people well enough sometimes though, but of course he never mentioned anything.

Unaware of Russia slowly approaching the palace, Anastasia, the youngest daughter of the Romanovs lay on her eldest sister's bed, complaining loudly.

"Olga, I'm so bored!" She rolled onto her stomach "When will it stop raining?" She looked sadly at the rain pattering heavily on the window.

Her sister gave her little attention and was pre-occupied with her piano.

Everybody in the palace had been in a bad state since Alexei had scraped himself again. The bleeding stopped after two days, but since everybody has been on high alert. She hadn't even seen her properly for days now.

She played idly with her hair and swung her legs over the side of the bed, praying the rain would stop.

Russia finally arrived at the huge palace, and nodded at the guards as they let him in. He went to a small side door, and stepped inside, sighing happily as the warmth hit him. He took his coat off and hung it up on a coat stand, but left his scarf on as usual. He wondered where Anastasia was- although he tried to not pick favourites, Anastasia always made him smile the most. He decided to go and ask one of the many servants that were standing around. There was no use looking for them himself, the place was so huge.

He walked up the servant, and saw the young man snap to attention as he noticed him approaching. "What can I do for you sir?" he asked. Russia smiled.

"Have you seen Anastasia anywhere~?" he asked. The servant thought for a second. "I think he is in Princess Olga's room, sir." Russia smiled again and walked off down the vast corridor, humming to himself as he did so.

Unsatisfied with pestering her sister, Anastasia went for a stroll around the palace. Seeing as it was so large, this could take up some time and it was better then lying around staring at the window. She had been walking around for no more than five minutes when down the hallway she could make out a familiar figure. It was tall; broad shouldered and hosted a man with a sweet smile on his face. "Russia!" She cried, and hurried towards him.

Russia was surprised to see the princess, and smiled at her as she ran towards him. "Hello Anastasia~!" he said, bending down to give her a hug. He smiled as she nestled into his arms, glad to see her again. He let go again and stood up after a second, smiling down at her. "How have you been?" he asked.

"Ok, I guess. The rain is disrupting my play" she pouted and folded her arms, then caught his eye and began to smile again "Well, you being here has improved it!"

Russia laughed. "It is a shame when you can't play outside." he said sympathetically. "But you know Ana~" he stopped to look around.

"I'm sure there are lots of fun things to do inside a swell. How about you hide somewhere? Anywhere in the palace. Then I'll come and find you~"

She thought about this for a while, trying to think of a good spot. "Sure!" she beamed, and grabbed him by the arm and made him turn around. "Count to twenty!" she said and made her way to her hiding place, then she stopped "No, wait, make that sixty!" and he hurried off again.

Russia chuckled to himself before covering his eyes with his large gloved hands and counting loudly so the princess would hear him. When she was out of earshot he stopped counting and sat down for a minute. When he thought enough time had passed, he stood up and looked around, sighting to himself, but smiling as he did so. This could take a while.

Anastasia rushed to her sister bedroom and wrapped herself up in the curtains, but unfortunately, Maria protested to this loudly.

"Anastasia, stop it, I'm busy!" She sighed and ran to her own bedroom, where nobody could complain. She spent some time under her bed sheets until she realised the shape of her body would be visible.

This gave her an idea, so she placed some pillows under the covers in the shape of a body, and then curled up under the bed. This way, Russia would think that she was in the bed, not under it. She chuckled to herself at her own plan, and waited eagerly for Russia to arrive.

Russia wasn't sure where to start. He didn't want to leave Anastasia waiting too long, she would get bored waiting. He tried to think which way he had heard her footsteps going. He started heading off in one direction, but jumped slightly when he heard a voice from the corner of the room. "She went towards the left wing, sir..." said the servant, sheepishly. Russia gave a small laugh, and nodded at the man before heading off.

Russia ducked his head in all of the rooms. He didn't need to check most of them thoroughly- there weren't many places to hide. He knocked on the children's doors (except Alexi's, he didn't want to disturb him) asking if they had seen the princess. Eventually he came to Anastasia's room. As he opened the door, he saw her figure under the bedcovers and smiled. But as he lifted the covers back, he saw that it was just a pile of pillows.

Below the bed, Anastasia was biting her fingers to stifle her laughter as she imagined the dumb look on his face when he saw there was nothing there. She turned her head and looked at his boots by the bed, and had a wicked idea. Slowly, she stretched out her hand and grabbed his foot, and made a ghoulish wailing sound. 'Ruuuuussiaaaaaa!' she moaned, and pulled herself from below the bed, and stuck her tongue out at him.

Russia jumped in fright, but relaxed and laughed in relief as he saw the princess crawl out from under the bed. "Don't do that!" he said, but couldn't stop himself from smiling. He sat on the bed and smiled as she sat next to him. "That was mean!" he laughed.

She giggled loudly and apologised "Sorry Russia! But you have to admit that was funny!" and smiled childishly up at him.

"I suppose it would be, looking back on it." he smiled. He looked up at the clock in the corner of the Princess' room, and suddenly stood up. "We're nearly late for dinner!" he exclaimed. "Come on, I'll give you a ride~!" he said, kneeling down so Ana could climb onto his shoulders.

She gasped, and quickly clambered onto the older man's back. As he rose, she felt briefly dizzy as he was so much taller than her. Wrapping her arms around neck she giggled "giddy up!"

Russia laughed as he trotted down the corridor and down the stairs, towards the main dining room. As they arrived at the door, Russia crouched down so she could climb off, then stood up and smiled at her before holding the door open for her. "Ladies first." he said.

"Thank you good sir" she said elegantly, and headed inside. The whole family where present, but she noticed one chair was empty. Alexei's. _He must still be sick_ she thought to herself and sat down at her place. "Sorry I'm late." she said quietly.

"It's my fault." said Russia, sitting down on the far end of the table. He watched as the servants dished out everyone's food- his last of course. He ate gratefully- he had been very hungry recently, for some reason. As the conversation carried on throughout the meal, he debated whether or not he should bring up the issue of no one having enough food in the city.

Despite usually being energetic and loud, the princess still had manners and an understanding of when her childishness was acceptable. Anastasia ate quietly, contributing little to the conversation, as it generally consisted of things she didn't quite understand.

After Russia had finished, eating, he found that he was still hungry. Eventually, he decided he ought to talk to the Tsar. "Sir?" he said politely. He felt nervous as the Tsar looked at him. "Yes Russia?" said the great man. "I was out walking today sir." began Russia. "And I noticed that many people are struggling to feed themselves... They are complaining that... that you aren't doing enough to help." Russia looked down, not wanting to meet the Tsar's gaze. There was silence for a moment, until the Tsar spoke. "You are all excused." he said curtly, before standing up and leaving.

Anastasia exchanged a glance with Russia before finishing off her plate. She daintily wiped her mouth with a cloth and watched as her siblings and mother left. "You ready?" she asked and slowly got up. She understood how Russia felt about his people, being a country and all and often imagined how tough it must be for him. The young princess knew well enough the state if their country, but had often put it out of her mind.

Russia nodded wearily and lifted Anastasia back up onto his shoulders, carrying her up to her room. He sat next to her on her bed, and smiled again.

"You know, I'm sure it'll be fine." he said, sensing that Ana was thinking about the conversation over dinner. "It's just a harsh winter, that's all. And your father is just worried about Alexi- we all are."

He stood up and glanced at the clock. "It's getting late." he said. "You need you beauty sleep~" he said, before smiling cheekily at her and leaving, closing the door behind him.

Anastasia lay back in her bed, smiling to herself. She liked it when he called her 'Ana'. It was something only he got to call her, mostly because her sisters didn't really have nicknames for each other, but that made it all the more special.

After a few minutes of restlessly moving around, the eventually got comfortable and fell asleep.

Russia went and said goodnight to each of the children- except for Alexi, who was already asleep when he opened the door. He went to the other side of the palace, where his room was, and went into his own room.

He sat in the chair in the corner, and reflected on things for a while. He was still starving, and he felt a read kind of anger at the Tsar brewing in the back of his mind. He really hoped the Tsar would decide to do something, as he had a feeling the people were getting restless.

A/N: I should probably give you some background on the Russian royal family, but I don't want to bore you so I'll keep it simple.

The Tsar and his family were dislikes by the people of Russia because of his poor decisions in ruling country. There are other factors, but that's the short story.

Their only son, Alexei, had a disease of the blood which meant that once he cut himself, the blood would not stop. Being the only male next in line to the throne, you can guess that everybody was pretty overprotective of him.


	2. Chapter 2

Anastasia awoke earlier than usual the next morning, as the sun wasn't fully risen, and the sky still showed some stars here and there.

She'd had a terrible dream, mostly about the mysterious man Rasputin her mother had spoken so fondly of.

Apparently he helped cure her brothers' illness and was a magician of sorts, but even though she'd only seen him once, he'd left a terrible impression on her.

She shivered as she remembered the feelings of his eyes as he looked directly at her, as if looking into her soul.

Sitting upright, she wrapped her blankets around her and bulled her knees to her chest, trying to forget the dream. Eventually, she got up and dressed and was ready before a servant came in to wake her.

Russia had had trouble sleeping last night, and woke with a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He really hoped the Tsar would do something, otherwise he feared the people would take matters into their own hands.

He could almost hear the angry shouting already. But as he sat up and got himself dressed, all he could hear was a lone bird chirping somewhere near his window.

No one ever came to wake him in a morning- he was allowed to do as he pleased, mostly. He only ever has to be present for important events such as international visits and the like. He stretched and yawned, opening his door and going to get breakfast.

He hoped the Tsar had forgiven him from last night. He scared Russia sometimes. He didn't usually eat breakfast with the Romanovs, and that morning he just went to the kitchen where one of the servants already had something prepared for him.

Anastasia made her way downstairs into the kitchen, where Russia was already having breakfast. "Good morning." She greeted him sleepily, and joined him for some breakfast. As she ate, she noticed he seemed a little worried. "Are you ok?" she asked.

Russia smiled at Anastasia. "Yes I'm fine~" he said. "I just had trouble sleeping last night, that's all." As he looked down at the young girl, he suddenly felt very protective of her, and slightly worried too. But he pushed it to the back of his mind and enjoyed the food. "Breakfast's unusually nice today, isn't it?" he said. He decided he was going to go and walk around the city again that day. He felt like he ought to, for some reason.

"hmmhmm" she mumbled between mouthfuls. "It looks nice out, too!" she smiled. She noticed the look he had given her earlier, but chose to ignore it. She understood he had many problems to deal with as a country, he was probably just thinking about one of them. "Hey, Russia, what are the other countries like? Do you get along?"

Russia was quite taken aback by her question. "Yes, most of them are very nice~" he said. "But I don't really know any of them that well, except my sisters of course." he smiled at Anastasia.

He waited for her to finish eating before standing up. "I'm going out." he said, staring to walk away. "I'll see you later~! Take care of Alexi for me!" he headed to the side door and got his coat on, stepping out into the bright morning.

"Goodbye!" she called after him and headed back to her room. On the way, she stopped by Alexei's room, where a maid was stood outside.

"Is he ok?" she asked worriedly. The maid nodded. "May I?" she nodded towards the door, and the old woman opened the door for her. There her brother sat on his bed, looking quite glum.

"Good morning" she smiled, but he turned to her with a sullen face and looked quite pale. "Russia was here earlier...he's gone now, but he'll be back soon." Alexei made a little half-smile and nodded slowly and turned back to looking at the floor. Anastasia stood there awkwardly for a while, not sure what to do. "Well, when he comes back, we'll play together, ok?" she tried to be cheerful, knowing his current mood. After getting no response from him, she slowly backed out and returned to her room.

Russia didn't notice the cold much that day, as he was too preoccupied thinking about other, more important matters. He sat on a bench for a while- he wasn't sure how long- and watched the people going by.

He noticed many of them had clothes that were much to thin and bare for this time of year, and he watched sullenly as two children fought over a piece of bread. He remembered it wasn't always like this. He also noticed a few passers-by stealing jealous glances at his warm, thick coat and luxurious scarf, and felt guilty.

He would have given his coat away (he could easily get a replacement) but what would be the use in that? It would only help one person. He sighed and looked up at the sky, which was beginning to snow gently. He noticed that the sun had moved a considerable distance in the sky, and wondered exactly how much time he had spent thinking. He stood up and made his way back to the palace.

As he made his was back, the young princess was gazing out of her window, admiring the clouds when she saw Russia walking towards the palace.

At first she was filled with excitement at his return, but noticed his slumped posture and sat expression. Getting up, she headed down to greet him anyway, opening the door before he even had a chance to place his hand on the handle. "Welcome back!"

Russia instantly perked up when he saw Anastasia, for her sake at the very least. "Hello Ana~" he said, smiling. He brushed the snow off his coat before hanging it back up. "Sorry I was so long, I lost track of time." he said, as they walked up into the main part of the palace. "Hey Ana~" he said. "I think we should go and visit Alexei. He's probably getting lonely, up in his room all alone."

The girl nodded eagerly "I told him we would play together when you got back." and she grabbed the tall nation by the wrist and brought him up to Alexei's bedroom. He was just as she left him: sitting on the edge of his bed looking at the floor.

He looked up when they entered, and smiled a little when he saw Russia. "Hello" he tried to sound perky, but he was still weak after having lost so much blood.

Russia smiled at the young boy, although he was worried for him. "Hello Alexei~" he said, sitting on the end of his bed with Ana. He was glad to see the boy's eyes light up slightly. "Well, I think it would be best if you stayed in bed." he said. "But~" Russia looked at them both in turn. "Do you two want to hear some stories? I can tell you about the Snowgirl, or adventures of the great Tsars many years ago, or about magical creatures that live in the great forests." He smiled. "You can choose~"

Alexei leant back on his pillows and thought for a while. "I want to hear about the magical forest creatures" he smiled weakly. His sister lay next to him in his bed "Yes that sounds good!"

Russia sat back and made himself more comfortable, and recounted tale after tale to the two children. They were there for a good while, both the Romanovs listening intently. Suddenly though, as Russia was halfway through a story about an old bird woman from Siberia, a servant came into the room. "The prince needs rest, sir. I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's doctors orders." Russia sighed and stood up. "I'll tell you the rest tomorrow Alexei~" he said, smiling as he and Ana left the room.

Anastasia looked up at Russia sullenly once the door was safely shut behind them. "I suppose it would be unfair of you to finish the story without him, wouldn't it?" she sighed. After moment of awkward silence she looked back to him again, this time smiling "Let's play a game, then!"

Russia smiled down at the girl. She always made him happy, even when things were tough. He bent down slightly- he always felt awkward being nearly twice her height. "Like what Ana~?" he asked. He knew that dinner wouldn't be too long, so he hoped she didn't choose hide and seek again.

She looked around for inspiration before deciding "How about cards?" It wouldn't take too long, and she knew she could always beat him at pretty much any game even if a little cheating was required.

Russia racked his memory for a moment. "I think so, yes." he said. He dealt the cards out fairly quickly, although his fingers were still stiff from cold which caused a bit of trouble. He breathed on them to warm them up a bit before looking at Anastasia across the table. "Ok then, let's start~".

As the game began, Russia found that he soon remembered the rules, and it was fairly even for a long while- towards the end, he began to think he might win- until Anastasia suddenly gained the upper hand by what seemed like an uncanny stroke of luck. He accepted defeat, and put the cards back into the box, smiling. "You really are good at card games, Anastasia." he said. "We'd better get going for dinner though~" he smiled.

"Of course" the girl smiled and packed the cards away and handed them back to Russia. This time, they were early for dinner, and it was Maria and Tatiana who where late. Another notable difference was the presence of Alexei, who had a bit more colour in his cheeks. He still looked quite sad, but his health had clearly improved after a good rest.

Russia felt a tide of relief wash over him as he saw Alexei sat at the table. He didn't say a single word to the Tsar that day, but he did chat briefly with the Tsarina and the children. He felt like something was slightly off, although he couldn't think what. He found himself continually glancing out of the window where the snow was slowly falling, and couldn't help but think of the people out there, in the cold. He wondered if they were staring to run out of firewood yet. But he snapped back to reality when he caught Anastasia watching him, and smiled at her warmly.

A few weeks went by, and the Tsar was present at the dining table less and less, always busy with his work. Anastasia had also noticed that Russia was spending more time than usual at the palace. Not that she complained, she loved his company and was like her ideal big brother. Which is why the news came to the family, she was distraught. The state of the war was growing worse, and the Tsarina told her children that they where not to leave the house because it was too dangerous. "However" she went on "It also restricts the amount of time Russia gets to be with us." "Will we see him much?" the princess asked. "No." her mother replied. It seemed that she also didn't like the idea of not having his presence around. It always made the palace seem warmer, safer even in these dark times.


	3. Chapter 3

Russia found that he couldn't make his mind up about much lately. One on hand, he supported the people and wanted what was best for them- after all, the Tsar hadn't been looking after them properly. But he also felt a fierce kind of loyalty towards the Romanovs. They were, after all, the Tsars. He really didn't know anymore.

He found himself sitting on the same bench every day, sometimes for hours. He felt excitement as the revolution gained more and more followers- a kind of thrill and newfound freedom- but he also felt a strong sense of dread, like something bad was about to happen. He looked up at the sky, but blinked as a snowflake landed on his eye. He stood up and began walking back to the palace.

He hadn't been spending as much time there lately- he almost felt unwanted- at least by the Tsar himself. He felt that the Tsar almost felt betrayed by him slightly.

But of course he loved the children. He eventually decided that the revolution would be a good thing- but he just hoped that it would all end quietly, with the Romanovs being allowed to just hand power over in a civilised manner.

Meanwhile, Anastasia had little knowledge on the affairs of her country. Seeing as her younger brother Alexei was next in line, the probability if her becoming Tsarina was pretty low, and she understood that. During the days the family where unable to leave the house she and her brother often spoke about Russia, and trying to finish the story he had been unable to finish. However, the nostalgic feeling just wasn't there unless it was told by Russia himself. Without his presence, even in small portions, the palace felt cold and empty and the halls had not heard the light-hearted laugh of the young princess Anastasia for some time.

Russia had been wondering who his new boss would be for quite sometime. He was angry at himself for even considering it would be someone other than the current Tsar, but he had a feeling the Tsarist days were nearing an end. Russia was one of the last countries in Europe that was still run by a monarchy, and Russia knew that things wouldn't stay that way forever. The world was changing rapidly- with the new century had come new innovations, new ideas, and new ways of looking at things. And this new century did not look favourably upon the monarchy.

He shivered.

He decided to go back to the palace for once; he hadn't seen the children in a while.

Once again Anastasia had been removed from young Alexei's room so that he could rest, and once again she sad dazing out of the window at the cold autumn day. It was then that she saw something quite unexpected. It was Russia. Even from where she was she could clearly make him out, making his way towards the palace. She bit her lip when he and a guard spoke for some time, and it appeared to be quite aggressive.

'Russia glared at the guard. "Of course I'm allowed in!" he shouted. "I live here!" He was indignated at not being allowed in. He noticed the guard had his hand on the butt of his rifle the whole time, but Russia he would never dare shoot at him. "Let me in!" He glared at the guard, and the man finally let him past. "I didn't let you in, if anyone asks." said the guard, who's cheeks were flushed red from the heat of the argument. Although Russia was angry, he knew it wasn't the guard's fault. He was just a civilian really, a civilian with a rifle and a strip of red cloth tied around his arm. He made a conscious effort to calm down as he approached his usual side-door. He wasn't sure how the Tsar would react if he was found in the palace. All of the other countries now saw Russia as being communist, a Red. But Russia felt he was just caught in the middle of it all. As he opened the door, he was surprised to see Anastasia already stood there. "Oh, Anastasia!" he said, kneeling down and hugging her. He had missed her lately. "Hello Ana." he said.

Their embrace lasted longer than usual, and Anastasia wrapped her arms around Russia's neck, pushing her face into the crook of his neck, taking in the smell of his scarf. "I really missed you!" she smiled as they pulled away. Looking around the entrance, she whispered to him "You're not supposed to be here..." She didn't want to be loud, in case they where to get in trouble for seeing each other.

"I know, I know..." said Russia in a hushed voice. "But I couldn't stand being away from you children for so long." He sat down on a chair down the narrow corridor. "Things have been very... strange recently." he took a deep breath and smiled at the girl. "But I'm sure everything will work out fine~! Russia is just changing a lot that is all. When all of this is over, I'll be allowed to see you all again and everything will be like it was." He smiled again, but tensed as he heard footsteps coming down the corridor. He peered around the corner, and nearly exclaimed as he saw it was the Tsar himself. He said a hurried goodbye to the princess before dashing out of the door back into the snow. He sat for a long while in the palace grounds. He would have to sleep with the Reds again. They welcomed him warmly, and always had a bed for him when he wanted it. But however kind they were to him, he still felt a twinge of guilt and couldn't stop thinking about the Romanovs every second he was around them.

Anastasia was noticeably more cheerful at dinner, but when asked about it she just shook her head and dismissed it as nothing. However, after they had eaten, Alexei continued to press the matter, until she confessed. "I saw Russia today!" she smiled, excitedly. "What? He's not allowed in the palace...unless you left!" she shook her head, smiling. "No, he came here, but only for a few minutes." Alexei looked at her in disbelief "What did he say?" She leaned closer to him and whispered "He said everything is going to be OK, and that we can see him again soon!" She couldn't help but notice the pang of jealousy cross the younger boys face. "I'm sure he'll come back tomorrow!" she re-assured him. "Even if it's just for a little bit."

Although Russia had been forced to leave sooner than he had planned, he felt slightly better that he had managed to see Anastasia. That night, he left it as long as he could before going to the Reds, wandering around the city and sitting oh his usual bench. But eventually, the cold began creeping into his bones and as the sun dipped below the horizon, he succumbed to weariness and wandered over to the Red part of the city, where he was greeted by a few pats on the back and a warm cup of soup; but he refused the food as he was welcomed into a nearby hotel. He would rather go hungry. All of the rooms were full, and he found himself sleeping in the lobby, although he didn't mind much. He heard a few conversations as he drifted in and out of sleep, none of which really caught him attention.

Until he heard the word 'Romanov'.

Back at the palace, everybody was in their rooms, until they received a rude awakening in the early hours of the morning. Anastasia mumbled loudly before answering the door to a tall man who she did not recognise. "Get ready. We're leaving soon." Before she could ask anything, the door was shut in her face. She quickly got dressed and went in search of her family who where all present at the palace entrance. "What's going on?" she asked Maria. The older sister explained to her calmly "We're moving." "Moving?" she echoed. "Yes, apparently it isn't safe to stay here any more." She nodded, beginning to understand. It must have been quite dramatic to wake them up so early, and she was too tired to mull it over anyway. After the arrival of Alexei they began to move out.

Russia forced himself awake when he heard mention of the Tsars. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and trying not to appear like he was listening in. From what he could gather, they were being moved as the Reds feared the White army might take the city. He heard gunfire in the distance. Suddenly, he felt like he had a great weight in the pit of his stomach. He began to feel slightly sick. He forced himself to his feet, and left the hotel without saying a word. Some people noticed, and one shouted after him- 'Comrade Braginski! Where are you going at this time of night?' But he ignored them. They were taking his Romanovs somewhere, and he didn't want to be left behind. He arrived at the palace just in time to see them outside the palace, getting into a car. He ran towards them, straight past the guards. One of them ran at him, and he instinctively lashed out, punching the man in the face. He heard a few shouts from the family, and desperately forced himself to run faster as the were pushed into the vehicle.

Despite Russia's efforts, none of the Romanov family was aware of him coming. "What about all our things?" Alexei asked Anastasia. She thought about it for a while before answering. "I'm sure they'll be brought over to our new home soon." she smiled and ushered him into the car ahead of her. As she was about to climb in herself, she turned around to see Russia making his way towards them. "Russia!" she smiled and walked over to him. However, two guards intercepted her and forcefully tried pushing her into the car. Confused and bewildered she felt herself being roughly lifted off the ground and she cried out in pain as she was forced into the car. She didn't have time to call out Russia's name before the door was shut and the engine roared into action and sped away.

Russia's lungs were burning from running and the cold, and he cried out as he saw the guards take Anastasia away. As the car's engine started up, he felt his heart sinking. He staggered forwards a few more steps, but his body failed him and he fell to his knees, gasping for breath. He could hear more guards running towards him, but he couldn't do anything about him. He tried once more to stand up, but he felt a hand on his shoulder, forcing his to stay down. He saw Anastasia's face through the back window of the car, and for once couldn't force himself to smile for her. Although he had hear they were just being moved, he felt an odd sense of finality in the air, and that same sinking dread. As the car sped away, he made a few feeble efforts to fight the guards off, but was easily dragged away outside the palace grounds.

Anastasia looked out of the back window of the car, an unwelcome ache in her chest as she and her family watched Russia get pushed to the ground. Her sisters shed silent tears while her parents looked stone-faced in the direction they where travelling. The young princess wept openly. She wept out of confusion and sadness, and for the pain Russia must be feeling as she imagined his face being pushed further into the ground. She also wept for another reason, one she herself did not know, but she just had a sense of oncoming disaster to herself and her country.

A/N Thank you so much for reading this, I really appreciate this!

I should also mention that this was originally a roleplay between my friend and I, but edited slightly, and so she gets some of the credit!


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